• Scandal: Nine women accuse Plácido Domingo of sexual harassment
  • Retaliation: The Philadelphia Orchestra and the San Francisco Opera cancel Placido Domingo's performances
  • Apoyos.Paloma San Basilio and Ainhoa ​​Arteta: "It is a channeled"

The Los Angeles Opera has launched an investigation to clarify the involvement of Placido Domingo in the allegations of sexual harassment that eight singers and a dancer have poured against him, and that this Tuesday caused an earthquake after its publication by the agency Associated Press Domingo, who has been the general director of the Californian musical institution since 2003, has seen how other auditoriums, such as the San Francisco Opera and the Philadelphia Orchestra, have suspended their scheduled performances for the coming months after the scandal caused by the accusations.

The opera issued a statement yesterday announcing that it will outsource the investigation of what happened to the Spanish singer. "We believe that all employees and artists should be treated with respect and feel safe within their work environment," the text starts. "The Los Angeles Opera has strong human resources policies and procedures. In accordance with those policies, the Los Angeles Opera will hire an outside team to investigate the allegations concerning Plácido Domingo ." According to the auditorium, on which a large cartouche with the image of the tenor converted into baritone could be seen yesterday, "Placido Domingo has been a creative and dynamic force in the life of the Los Angeles Opera, as well as in the artistic culture of the city for more than three decades. However, we are committed to doing everything possible to foster a professional and collaborative environment where all our employees and artists feel equally comfortable, valued and respected. "

Pending that resolution, several voices came out yesterday in defense of Sunday. Ainhoa ​​Arteta assured Telecindo that Domingo is "a gentleman" and "the most respectful person" he has ever known: "It's all a slander and a bad guy ." And even more: "It helped me a lot at the beginning of my career and I never, and I can say it about a Bible or a polygraph, he has asked me nothing in return."

He also remembered when she started her career, it was said that she "slept with Placido Domingo". To which she replies: "Never in life have I had a relationship with Placido Domingo. If there is a lot of people who believe it, well ... Today it is very easy to defame and sink a person. It is totally unfair. ".

In similar terms, Paloma San Basilio said , who has also collaborated with Domingo: "I can only affirm that Mr. Domingo was always a gentleman with me, a great companion and a generous artist, of those who do not abound, and with whom I had the privilege of sharing scenario ".

The Los Angeles verdict, which is not anticipated imminent, can cause a chain reaction in the rest of the spaces that are scheduled Sunday, especially those in the United States. This is proved by another statement, sent by the Metropolitan Opera (MET) of New York . "We take accusations of sexual harassment and abuse of power with extreme seriousness," says the Metropolitan. However, they will not precipitate their decision, such as Philadelphia or San Francisco. "We will wait for the results of the investigation on the behavior of Placido Domingo as responsible for the Los Angeles Opera before making any final decision on the future of Mr. Domingo in the MET." And a clarification: "It should be noted that during his career at the MET as a guest artist, Mr. Domingo has never been in a position to influence casting decisions for anyone but him."

That last paragraph refers to the heart of the matter: if the alleged sexual relations maintained by the Spanish singer and the complainants were moved by the possibility of favors (helping to launch their careers) or reprisals (the dry end of them).

The Royal Opera House in London has confirmed that he will not veto Domingo in his participation at the end of his next season, in July 2020 with a Don Carlo, although he has stressed that he has a policy of "zero tolerance" with behavior that are imputed to Sunday. "As things stand, he will perform at the Royal Opera House as scheduled," a Covent Garden spokesman told Efe.

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